Abstract

For developing countries, the question of capital goods for energy development is as important, if not more so, than their supply of oil, because it requires considerable foreign exchange. There is not a single country that is not concerned with this issue in a small or big way.

However, structural changes have occurred in the last decade, owing to reduced demand for capital goods in the developed world and the advent of new energy systems. In this report, the author reviews these recent developments in the North and South, as well as some of the major developing countries that have made major strides towards self-reliance -- notably, South Korea and Brazil followed by China, India, and others. However, technological and other constraints exist for these countries, as well as for the medium and small countries. These constraints are discussed here, along with the potential strategies and modes that different types of developing countries might adopt to expedite progress.